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About Emily Bardeen
Expertise
I have experience working with job hunters of all ages who are looking for their first job, career changers, people who have been laid off, and people who are job hunting for career advancement. I can answer questions on job search strategy, research, finding a "good fit", career assessments including the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII), resume writing, cover letters and other correspondence, networking (I like to call it getting advice), interviewing, negotiating an offer, and getting started in a new job.

Experience
I have 15 years of experience as a Career Advisor, 8 of them serving as the Human Resources Director of Career Services to 7,000 employees, including one-on-one career appointments and workshops on career planning, job searches, resumes, interviewing, career change, career assessments,going back to school and supervisor support for career development. Previously, I provided career advising via available to a community of 150,000 via email, telephone and in-person appointments. I have also career advised welfare-to-work recipients, undergraduate and graduate students, and focused on women's career and job needs while at a Women's Center.

Organizations
NCDA National Career Development Association

Publications
www.emilyoncareers.com

Education/Credentials
M.A., Georgetown University B.A., cum laude William Smith College Organizational Development Certificate, NTL Institute Certified in: MBTI Type Indicator SII Strong Interest Indicator CCL Benchmark 360

Past/Present Clients
My clients range from electricians to engineers and from people getting their GEDs to PhD researchers. They literally go from A (Aesthetician) to Z (Zoologist) and one of my clients was a spy -- getting out of the industry, not in! Some are very sophisticated computer users, and some are just learning. Some of my clients have criminal records; some in have been in law enforcement. Some want to be teachers; some want to leave teaching. Some are executives; some are administrative assistants. I do not usually work with high school students, other than to helping them plan their next steps for school.

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Job Hunting Tips - job hunting

Expert: Emily Bardeen - 11/1/2009

Question
Hello Emily,

I am laid off from the mortgage industry in southern California since June 2007. Since the lay off I had 3 temporary jobs in Arizona. My last job ended January 5, 2009. I now live with my sister in Tennessee (the Memphis area) and still have not found work of any type. I apply to jobs 7 days a week, have not received not even one interview.

I have a bachelor's degree in business and a major in accounting. However, I do not have much experience in accounting and need to take accounting classes again if I went back into accounting.

I have always had good performance reviews, never late for work and no sick days in the past 10 years. I have great integrity and ethics. I am open to entering a career in a new industry. I can't afford to go back to school until I have a full-time job.

I don't understand why I can't get at least interviews. I have never had this issue before in my life. I'm 51 years old and now have bad credit...because I haven't been able to find a job.

Please, is there anything you can do to help me?

Answer
Hi Zebbie,
I am so glad you wrote. To start with, please know you are absolutely not the only person in this situation. It sounds like you are reacting to a bizarre situation in a perfectly normal way. Good for you for keeping your head on straight for this long. And good for your sister for sharing her home with you.

Okay business major, time for analysis! Obviously something isn't working in your search approach (duh). So the thing to do is to go back and figure what that is, then change it. I hope you will take a couple of minutes to read this blog article that goes into more detail on how to do this. http://www.emilyoncareers.com/job-search/verybaddaysi/

Let's do an example. One sentence from your question particularly stood out for me: "I apply to jobs 7 days a week, but have not received even one interview."

This says two things to me:

1) You are applying to TONS of jobs
ANALYSIS: This says your strategy has been "throw your resume against the wall and see what sticks". (smile) This works when it's a job hunter's market, but not in this one.

Therefore, you need a new strategy. I suggest you instead identify markets where you can be a competitive job candidate, then focus your search in those areas. Here is how this strategy works:
-- identify job target markets
-- research markets
-- compare to your qualifications
-- get advice from people in the markets
-- apply for jobs

Some clients say "That will take too long!" I say "The shortest distance to employment is not A-B if that route never gets there. Did applying for jobs every day work? Never confuse activity with results. The shortest distance is A-H-B because that route works."

Here's how it works.

A. Identify 4-7 JOB TARGET MARKETS in the Memphis area. Start by researching the Memphis area economy to see where the economy is growing. (For example, Memphis has many medical/health systems - hospitals, private practices, etc. - that might be one market area.) Clearly the mortage industry - and all related businesses - are a target market. Identify companies in those areas, and research their websites (not just their job postings) to see what their businsses do, what their mission statements, annual reports, press releases, etc. say.

In other words: get the "lay of the land" on the business community in your target markets.

B. Then, create a document in which you list all your skills, experience, and accomplishments throughout your career. Include the mortgage industry and the past year of temp work.

C. Now, compare what you have to offer with the target markets. Which are your top picks?

D. Go back to the websites of some of the top picks, and identify someone in the organization you'd like to ask for advice about the industry. For example - wouldn't you like to know whether your skill set would be useful in the industry? What their biggest issues are? What they look for in candidates? What level someone like you would be hired as?

Email that person, and tell them you've researched their company because you're interested in career change and you'd like to ask their advice in a thirty minute meeting. Be CLEAR that the purpose of your visit is information not a job. You will be surprised at how many people will meet with you.

Reiterate that the meeting is for information not a job when you arrive. And keep your promise. Don't take a resume - it will send a message that you're looking for a job, which you are not in this meeting - it is a fact-finding meeting. At the end, ask them who else they would suggest you talk with. Of course, write a thank you email after and, if you hit it off, stay in touch on your progress. This is the ideal way to develop your professional network in a new field.

This method provides you with invaluable knowledge about things you could never ask in an interview, but always wanted to know about a job market. It gets your face and name known. So that when you DO ultimately apply for a position - you are a know commodity.

2) Your resumes/applications are not getting enough attention to warrent an interview
ANALYSIS: If you are applying for tons of positions, I wonder if you have had the time to research each company so that you can tailor your resume to most effectively show how you can solve their problems.

In this market, the person who does so has the best chance of getting the interiew. There is only one job: problem-solver. In today's tough economy, if a company can justify hiring someone, they must a a BIG problem! You need to show you are the person to solve it. This is best done in your resume by highlighting previous accomplishments that illustrate how you solved similar problems in the past. This is called targeting your resume.

Even if your accomplishments were in a different environment, you can have a very compelling resume if you have solved a similar business problem. This is even more true when the position you are applying for is in a related business. Therefore, consider job target markets that are associated with your former work in the mortage industry - for example, title companies, etc.

Zebbie,
I realize I've given you pretty dense answers today, so please do respond if you want to work together more on this. Essentially, I believe a more targeted job search strategy and resumes will give your greater success. It seems a little paradoxical, that tightening your search gets more responses, but it is true!

Good luck. Contact me at any time.

Emily

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